Turisme d’Elx :: Fiestas

The night of August 13th, or Nit de l’Albà, is one of the celebrations that the townspeople of Elche look forward to most eagerly. Hundreds of fireworks light up the sky in a barrage of colour and sound. The fiesta’s origins date back to the Middle Ages when families offered a rocket to the Virgin for each of their children. Today the tradition has metamorphosed into a coordinated, organised firework display where hundreds of fireworks are fired from different points of the city. As well as the organised display, the townspeople also join in spontaneously with their own fireworks.
The colourful storm of rockets and fireworks begins at 23:00 hours and continues unabated until a few minutes before midnight. Suddenly all the fireworks cease and the city lights are turned off. The people of Elche remain silent while they listen to “el Gloria”, the most significant fragment of the Mystery Play. For a few seconds, the darkness blanketing the city is brilliantly lit up by an enormous white starburst, la palmera de la Virgen, which is released from the Basilica de Santa María.
Once the magic moment has passed, the city lights are restored and on the Basilica’s tower an image of the Virgin in fireworks bursts into life accompanied by the famous habanera “Aromas ilicitanos” with all of the townspeople joining in the song from their balconies and roofs. The traditional final act to the fiesta is for the people to eat a watermelon. Some people prolong the fiesta, firing rockets well into the small hours while the more daring take part in the traditional guerra de carretillas, where people chase each other pushing carts designed to look like dragons, spitting fireworks from their mouths. This takes place in the specially designated areas in the city centre that can appear to be scenes from hell – an event recommended for only the most hardened fire lovers.